LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Police are warning the public to keep an eye on their cars when filling up in Gwinnett County.
Authorities there are looking for a man who they say stole phones, wallets and other valuables out of at least three cars that were sitting at the pump earlier this month.
Two of the thefts, police say, occurred at a QT on 5050 Sugarloaf Pkwy. in Lawrenceville, while the third happened at a RaceTrac at 1800 Beaver Ruin Rd. in Norcross. One of the thefts occurred even as the victim was at her car getting gas, police say.
A woman told police that as she stood near the fuel pump, she heard her passenger door shut and “looked over and saw a blur of someone getting inside of a vehicle and leaving the scene.”
That woman lost her purse, and the $200 in cash and important cards that were in it. In one of the other thefts, a victim said she noticed a car making laps around the gas pumps before discovering she’d been robbed of her phone.
The crime is known as "gas station sliding," and Gwinnett County Police say they’re seeing a rise in instances of it. They recommend drivers keep their doors locked and windows rolled up when at the pump.
Surveillance footage showed a green Toyota SUV possibly being used in the Lawrenceville thefts, while a dark gray Toyota Highlander was used in the Norcross incident.
Gwinnett Police, however, say they believe the same suspect was responsible in all three thefts.
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